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Sima Samar: human rights defender in Afghanistan
an article by The Right Livelihood Award (abridged)
Sima Samar of Afghanistan received the Right
Livelihood Award for 2012"...for her longstanding
and courageous dedication to human rights,
especially the rights of women, in one of the most
complex and dangerous regions in the world."
Samar at a girl's school run by Shuhada Organization, Daikundi province, 2003
click on photo to enlarge
Sima Samar is a doctor for the poor, an educator
of the marginalised and defender of the human
rights of all in Afghanistan. She has established
and nurtured the Shuhada Organization that, in
2012, operated more than one hundred schools and
15 clinics and hospitals dedicated to providing
education and healthcare, particularly focusing on
women and girls. She served in the Interim
Administration of Afghanistan and established the
first-ever Ministry of Women's Affairs. Since
2004, she has chaired the Afghanistan Independent
Human Rights Commission that holds human rights
violators accountable, a commitment that has put
her own life at great risk.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights
Commission (AIHRC) was set up in 2002 and
constitutionalised in 2004. Samar was appointed
its first chairperson. Since its inception, the
AIHRC has reported on pressing challenges
including issues of civilian casualties, the
realisation of economic and social rights and the
status of women. One of the most important reports
that the AIHRC has published is 'Call for Justice'
which examines past human rights crimes and abuses
in Afghanistan. AIHRC's focus has been to
strengthen the rule of law and end a culture of
impunity. Because of her relentless calls for
accountability for human rights violations of the
past and the present, Samar is an anathema to many
of the human rights violators who hold office in
Afghanistan today. Having received several death
threats as a result of persevering in her work,
Samar is today always accompanied by bodyguards in
Afghanistan. From 2005-2009 Samar also served as
the United Nations' Special Rapporteur for the
Situation of Human Rights for Sudan.
Fervently believing that education is the key to
socio-economic development and sustaining civil
society in countries like Afghanistan, Samar
recently established the non-profit Gawharshad
Institute of Higher Education (GSIHE). The
Institute initially offers training in the fields
of political science, political sociology,
economic planning and leadership and
administration in education. It aims to provide
greater opportunities for women, poor and
marginalised students through tuition subsidies
and scholarships. Various aspects of Samar's work
have been recognised over the years by a number of
international awards, including the 1994 Ramon
Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership and the
2004 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and
Human Rights. Additionally, she was conferred with
a Doctor of Humane Letters (hon.) by Brown
University in May 2005.
[Note: Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter
for this article.]
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